Back in 1998 I was hired to come to Texas and teach students how to be a book, newspaper and magazine editor and how to write books and magazine articles. I had 25 years experience in doing that very thing, and I figured that would be my claim to fame from that point on. But … More The Medium Isn’t the Message
Two weeks ago, our University Communication Department took its students on their annual Communication Field Trip in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This year, just for a change, we included two historical sites: the Sixth Floor Museum that commemorates the assassination of John F. Kennedy and his tenure as president, and the Holocaust Museum, which talks … More Who Do We Need More: Leaders or Heroes?
We’re on the other side of two monumental responsibilities of mine. (who-hoo!) The deadline for high schoolers to turn in their four-minute videos in the 48-hour film challenge at our University was 90 minutes ago. At the same time, the University website, the project that has obsessed me since Christmas, has been put to bed … More Idle Hands Are the Devil’s Workshop
I watched an interview with Octavia Spencer on Late Night with Steven Colbert a couple of nights ago. She plays the leader of the Amity faction in the new film Allegiant, the last segment in the Divergent series. Colbert asked her about her many acting roles over the years and the number of times she … More One of a Kind
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. Scribner Books. 288 pages. To be totally honest, this is the third time that I have read this book. But there’s a very good reason why I’ve chosen to use this as one of the textbooks in my Narrative Writing class, even though some of … More Review: “On Writing” by Stephen King
“Well, I’m a steamroller, baby, I’m gonna roll all over you…” –James Taylor I tell people that I got the nickname “steamroller” when I was in my graduate studies, but the truth is that I gave myself the title after listening to Mr. Taylor sing his song time and again. The title fit though. I was … More Sometimes You Have To Be a Steamroller
“I hate writing, I love having written.” –Dorothy Parker It’s been crunch time for me, well, for probably most of the semester. For some odd reason the onslaught doesn’t seem to let up. And when real life responsibilities seem to get overwhelming, I start dreaming about writing. I long to be working on a novel, … More Being, Doing, or Having Done? What’s Your Writing Motivation?
One of the things that totally boggled the mind of my darling wife when we came to Texas 18 years ago was that professors (my new profession) weren’t given any instruction in teaching. In fact, in the years that I have been in front of the classroom, I can count on one hand the number … More So Easy, Anyone Can Do It.
One of the toughest times in my life was when my father was dying of cancer. It also marked a breakthrough in my writing. My father was never the kind of person to express himself, and I always felt at a loss when it came to communication with him. In those last few months, I … More Writing as Therapy
My students hate it when I ask trick questions. And of course, this is one of them. The short answer to the question: What’s the difference between an amateur and a professional is simple. A professional gets paid. It’s not more profound than that. But I said it was a trick question. All of us want … More How Amateur Writers Become Professionals
The Great Adventure 